alwaysabgirl

Aging and Hiphop-Generation X Speaks: A Conversation with DVS
Next  I interviewed a local Chicago MC and friend of mine, DVS. Aside from being a dope emcee (I knew him as an emcee before we we’re cool) he’s a cool brother with an interesting sense of humor.  For a glimpse into his funny side and lyrical abilities check out the Waldorf and Staler Experience.  Whatever may tickle his funny bone, he and his producer Treblefree have the makings of a dynamic duo. Solid production, lyrics, the Muppets and a Soldier Story concept.  This is hiphop for adults. Fo’sho.
 
We talked over the phone about what it means to be an old head in hiphop.
As the conversation progressed it became clear that his answers were going to be decidedly different from most because he never anticipated making music as a means of earning an income.  For him it has always been about the love of the art of lyricism and the culture of hiphop.

How old were you when you got into hiphop?  How old are you now?
I was 16 when I started. First recorded at 19.  Now I’m 36.
36? I thought you were older than that? Naw.

How did you get started?
It was natural progression for me.  I was used to speaking in public. Giving speeches in church, in school.  Use to being an orator.  That and I was 16 when I went to college so that was my intro in hiphop.  I started writing my own material when I got to college.  It was about self expression more than getting a deal.

Do you think hiphop is strictly an arena for young people? I was talking to a young mc who said she didn’t want to be fifty on stage. And I said what if you still have something to say?
That’s a really skewed perspective—-alot of people think that it’s a young man’s game. Got cats calling people old on record . That’s incorrect. Its not a fad its a complete culture. Its a part of me.  I grew up with it. The older age range, audience will continue to expand as we get older and will still have something to say. I may not be as venomous on a track but my song construction has expanded from where I was at 19 when all rapped about was fucking, weed and fucking.  My thought process is more cohesive, my concepts more advanced.  I  evaluate my skills from where I used to be.

So but…
I have never had the paycheck or art conundrum I part because I’ve always had a family, had to earn a living.  its always been that way since 19. Never had that as an option to earn my way via my art.

You never were interested in trying to get a deal?
Not really, I never banked on it. It was in in the back of mind but I never really saw it as viable.  So when I was down in Memphis In 2000 I was in a group called the Genesis Experiment.  That’s probably when I had my greatest financial success directly linked to hiphop.  I mean even now its considered an underground classic in Memphis hiphop.  
So behind the success of that we all went to the  BMI seminar and the producer, Travon Potts for Public Announcement offered us a deal., but it required that he get half of the production, executive production rights on the first five albums,  and then there were points in all these other areas.
And that experience just let me know, gave me the insight to the kind of indenture servitude some artists get into in order to get a deal.  I was not willing to make that kind of sacrifice and my family always came first. Even then when all the buzz was going on I had to leave because my family needed me in Chicago.

So in other genres you can be an old artist and still make a living. Why is it different for hip hop? Does your presence mean there’s no room for a younger artist? At what point do you foresee yourself exiting the performance arena?  
There’s a market for an older artist in other genres. I will stop being an emcee when I feel like I have nothing to say—-that is the only criteria.  Cats like De La Soul are doing it. Qtip can still do it. Sean Price but he was older when he started. Duck Down are still doing it, giving us a sense of the culture. If you put together a quality product there will be an audience. If bootlegging wasn’t so rampant and the new generation wasn’t use to not paying for music people could stay in the game longer and eat.

And for me the game has changed in terms of the kinds of engaging material I’m able to put together.  I’m still accessible even with my pop culture references. They tell my audience that I’m seasoned and it works in my favor as an emcee.  But you know like with generation swag, Odd Future appeals to an old head like me.  It seems like they have some understanding of the culture they did the knowledge and then flipped it.  They didn’t like the bullshit and went out and tried something different.  I can feel that.

How has the culture been shaped by your generation in a bad way?  
With us we tried to horde it, tried to shit on the [next generation] instead of  instead of building, We  demonstrated bad business management.  We flossed out have nothing to show for it.

How has the culture been shaped by generation next in a good way?
They are showing new and innovative ways to get this money. I mean Wild Pitch is gone, Def Jam is a shell of its former self.  We demonstrated it as viable art form. They have successful come with a new business model. The use of new marketing tools, social media.  I can share my music with a tool like bandcamp.

Are we ready to see a 50 year old emcee in the mainstream?
I don’t think anyone is ready for it. That’s something we haven’t seen yet. I mean KRS ONE has lost a step, Masta Ace is prolly the exception consistently put forth quality material but he’s more of an underground artist. If it happens he’ll [who ever s/he is will] be the first nigga to pull it off, the first motherfucker doing it.

How do you continue to be active in the culture as you age? How do we engage with the younger generation?
You have to continue to be active participants in the culture. The disrespect has more to do with the culture, than the music. The same cat who will say fuck you old niggas on a record is the same cat likely to say it on the block.   Its a reflect of where we are as a community.  We have to play our position, continue to put forth our music. If your fan base is shrinking then you have to  take it where you have to.  Mentoring is critical. Getting old doesn’t mean stop being a pioneer. Just because you’re getting older as long as continue on the path that you created you’ll be aight. The politics of trying to get money has been the biggest hindrance to the game but  the art is always gonna be pure.